Jan. 10, 2014

Written by

Detroit Free Press Staff

Detroit on tech hubs of 2014 list

Detroit is one of the 10 most promising tech hubs of 2014, according to Techie.com, a web magazine based in South Bend, Ind.

The 10 cities were selected, the magazine said, based on several factors, including startup and techie culture, whether it had incubators, accelerators and coworking spaces, support from the city and community, infrastructure and the number of tech-related groups.

“We have seen the future of Detroit, and it’s all about rebirth,” said Dan Blacharski, Techie.com editor-in-chief. “The city’s industrial past is already giving way to a high tech future, and the excitement we’ve seen throughout the city – as well as the success that new tech firms have already had – is making the Big D one of the best places to launch a tech startup this year.”

Young leaders join Forbes list

Detroit Blight Authority Chairman Bill Pulte and Novi native Aaron Letzeiser were two Michigan residents named to Forbes’ latest “30 under 30” list of 20-something overachievers. The magazine highlights 450 people in 15 different industries.

Pulte, who is the 25-year-old grandson of Pulte Homes founder Bill Pulte, founded the authority early last year to try an industrial-scale approach to battling Detroit’s pandemic of rubbish-strewn neighborhoods and half-vacant blocks of burnt out houses.

The authority has so far cleared rubbish and some buildings from two demonstration areas, including a 500-lot area of the Brightmoor neighborhood.

Pulte is also CEO of Pulte Capital Partners in Bloomfield Hills, a private-equity firm that invests in building product companies.

Letzeiser, 24, is founder of The Medical Amnesty Initiative, a nonprofit that supports state laws to grant intoxicated minors legal immunity from underage alcohol possession charges if they seek help for themselves or for another intoxicated person in need of immediate medical attention. Michigan passed such a law in 2012.